At first, the staff at the Arizona Animal Welfare League didn’t know what to think when the little gray schnauzer, later named Gilda, fell flat to the ground like a pancake.

Gilda’s tiny legs weren’t injured, yet she could barely crawl. Her caretakers soon realized why: Gilda didn’t know how to walk because she had spent her entire life, two years, being bredinside a cage at a large-scale breeding operation known as a puppy mill.

Phoenix leaders are trying to combat such breeding practices with a proposed ordinance limiting pet-store sales. The ordinance would ban shops from selling dogs or cats unless they’re rescues from a shelter or pound.

Although many puppy mills are in other states, City Council members Tom Simplot and Thelda Williams said the city can deter bad breeders and encourage the adoption of shelter animals by fighting the practice at the point of sale.

The council will vote on the issue at 3 p.m. today during a meeting in its chambers, 200 W. Jefferson St.

Opponents of the ordinance said it unfairly casts all pet stores in a negative light and limits the options available to buyers who might not want a dog from a rescue group or shelter.

Animal activists contend that the vast majority of pets bred for sale in stores in the United States come from puppy and kitten mills, where the animals are kept in crowded, unsanitary kennels. Many don’t have adequate access to veterinary care, food or water. And the animals receive little, if any, exercise or socialization.

Gilda was rescued from an Oklahoma breeder this fall, along with about two dozen other dirty, sick and flea-ridden dogs. The dogs, many of which have been adopted, were discarded when they were no longer capable of producing litters.

“They were absolutely petrified,” said Judith Gardner, president of the animal league, recounting the day the dogs arrived. “Most of the people don’t know (about puppy mills). The minute they stop buying puppies, those mills will close down.”

That’s one goal of Phoenix’s proposed law.

Pet “dealers” or stores could only sell animals received from Maricopa County’s animal shelters, the Arizona Humane Society or another non-profit rescue organization. However, the ordinance includes an exemption for small “backyard” breeders who sell dogs or cats raised at their home or business, excluding pet shops.

Phoenix could charge violators with a misdemeanor, and they could face up to six months in jail and a $2,500 fine. The city would require pet stores to keep records for up to a year showing the source of all dogs and cats.

Activists say Phoenix’s ordinance is part of a national movement that has come as public awareness of the cruel practices of puppy mills has increased. Many cities, including Los Angeles, San Diego, El Paso and Austin, have implemented similar laws to combat inhumane breeding practices and address concerns about shelter overpopulation.

“The pet stores generally supply puppies (to the public) from animal mills,” said Kari Nienstedt, Arizona director for the Humane Society of the U.S. “There are so many great animals looking for homes. The overpopulation problem is so massive.”

Consumers already appear to be doing some regulating on their own. Supporters of the proposed law said the public is more conscientious today about the treatment of dogs they see in a storefront window.

Some groups say that pet mills, which cropped up in the Midwest and South to meet the demand for pets after World War II, appear to be on the decline, and that many traditional pet stores have closed.

“Pets have changed from being a commodity to becoming part of the family,” Simplot said, adding that his parents’ and grandparents’ generations viewed pets more as objects. “It has changed dramatically.”

Activists, however, warn that the problem is still widespread, with many people selling puppy-mill pets online. The Humane Society estimates that about 2.15 million puppies sold annually originate in puppy mills, compared with an estimated 3 million dogs and cats euthanized in U.S. shelters each year.

But some pet-store managers said the ordinance is burdensome and unfairly limits consumers in choosing the type of dog they want. They said city leaders are wrong in portraying all pet stores as buying from questionable breeders.

Jordan Moores, owner of Custom Creatures in the North Mountain area, said he has been in business for a decade and has never bought dogs from a puppy mill. He doesn’t support the ordinance because it would prevent him from breeding animals at home and selling them in his shop. His family occasionally breeds sphynx cats and French bulldogs.

“You’re just taking out the free market,” Moores said of the ordinance, suggesting it will give shelters a monopoly. “They create no competition, basically is what happens.”

City leaders said residents could still be buy dogs and cats from small breeders and shelters, which often have purebreds and puppies available for adoption.

At least one pet-breeding and -showing organization in the state, the Sahuaro State Kennel Club, supports the effort to limit pet-store sales.

Club President Marilyn Little, who breeds Labradorretrievers, said reputable breeders don’t sell to pet stores and often prefer to meet a puppy’s potential owners to ensure they’ll provide a suitable home.

“A dog is for life,” Little said. “It’s not for the almighty dollar. Very seldom is there any money made from it.”

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